The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-25

of forty-five minutes, better adjourn it to
Some other day.
Tho trouble is we preach audiences into II
Christian flame, and then we preach them
out of it. We forget that every auditor has
SO much capacity of attention, and when
that he is exhausted he is restless. That ac-
cident ON the Long Island railroad some
years ago came from the fact that the
brakes were out of order, and when they
wanted to stop the train they could not
stop, and hence the casualty was terrific.
In all religious discourse we want locomo
tive power and propulsion. We want at the
same time stout brakes to let down at the
right instant 1t is dismal thing after n
hearer has comprchendcd the whole subject
to hear a man say: Now to recapitulate," i"
and "a few words by way of application"
and "once more" and finally" and 'now
to conclude"
Paul preached until midnight, and Euty-
chus got sound asleep and fell out of a
window and broke his neck Some would
say: Good for him" l would rather be
sympathetic like Paul and resuScitate him.
That accident Is often quoted now in re
hgious circles as warning against somno-
lence in church. 1t is Just as much a warn
ing to ministers against prolixity. Euty
chus was wrong i'll his somnOlence, but Paul
made mistake when he kept on until mid
night He ought to have stopped at IL
O'Clock and there would have been no acct
dent. II Paul might have gone on to too
great length, let all those of us who are now
preaching the Gospel remember that there
is limit TO religious discourse, or ought to
be, and that in our time we have no apos-
tolic power of miracles
Napoleon, in an address Of seven minutes,
thrilled his army and thrilled Europe
Christ's sermon on the Mouut the model
sermon, was less than eighteen minutes long
at ordinary mode of delivery. 1t is not
electricity scattered all over the sky that
strikes, but electricity gathered into thun-
derbolt and hurled and it is not religious
truth scattered over spread out over n vast
reach of time but religious truth projected
in compact form chat flashes upon the soul
and rives its indifference.
When the religious discourse of the future
arrives in this land and in the Christian
church, the discourse which is to arouse the
world and startle the nations and usher in
the King loul, it will be a brief discourse.
Hear it all theological students, all ye just
entering upon religious work all ye men
and women who in Sabbath schools and
other departments are toiling for Christ and
the salvation of immortals. Brevity Brew
ity!
But remark also that the religious dis
course of the future of which | speak will
be o popular DISCOURSE There are those in
these times who speak Of a popular sermon
as though there must be something wrong
about it, AS these critics are duh them
selves the world gets the impression that n
sermon is good in proportion rs it is stupid.
Christ was the most popular preacher the
world ever saw and considering the small
number of the worlds population had the
largest audiences ever gathered. He never
preached anywhere without making a great
sensation. People rushed out in the wilder
ness to hear him, reckless OF their physical
necessities So great was their anxiety to
hear Christ that, taking no food with them,
they would have tainted and starved had
not Christ performed a miracle and fed
them.
Why did so many people take the truth
at Cbrist's handsl Because they all under
stood It, He illustrated his subject by hen
and her chickens, by "A bushel measure, by a
handful of salt, by birds flight and by a
hly's aroma. All the neople knew what He
meant and they fiocked to Him. And when
the religious discourse of the future appears,
it will not be Princetonian, not Rocheste-
rian, not Andoverian, not Middletonian,
but Olivetic-plain, practical, unique, earn
est comprehensive of all the woes, wants,
sins, sorrows and necessities of an auditory
But when that exhortation or discourse
does come there will be a thousand cleaning
scimetars to charge on 1t. There are in 80
many theological seminaries professors tell
ing young men how to preach, themselves
not knowing how, and | am told that If a
young man in some of our theological semi
nGries says anything quaint or thrilling or
unique, faculty and students fly at him and
set him right, and straighten him out, and
smooth him down, and chop him Off until
he says everything just as everybody else
says it.
Oh, when the future religious discourse of
the Christian church arrives, all the churches
of Christ in our great cities will be thronged
The world wants spiritual help. All who
have buried their dead want comfort. Al
know themselves to be mortal and to be i'm
mortal, and they want to hear about the
great future. tell you, my friends, if the
people Of our great cities who have had
trouble only thought they could get practi-
cal and sympathetic help In the Christian
church, there would not be a street I'm New
York, or Brooklyn, or Chicago, or Charles
ton, or Philadelphia, or Boston which would
be paSsable on the Sabbath day il there
were a church on it; for all the people would
press to that asylum of mercy, that great
house OF comfort and consolation.
A mother with dead babe in her arms
came TO the god Veda, and asked to have
her child restored to life. The god Veda
said TO her; "You go and get handful Of
mustard seed from the house in which there
has been no sorrow, and in which there has
been no death, and will restore your child
20 life So the mother went out, and she
went from house to house, and from home
TO home, looking for a place where there
had been no sorrow and where there had
heen no death, but she found none. She
went back TO the god Veda and said "My
mission Is a failure; you see / haven't
brought the mustard seed | can't find a
place where there has been no sorrow and no
death" "Oh,n says the god Veda, under
stand your sorrows are no worse than the
sorrows of Others: we all have our griefs
and all have our heart-breaks.
Laugh and the world laughs with you,
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow It's mirth,
But has trouble enough Of it, own.
we hear great deal Of discussion now
all over the land about why people do not
go TO church. Some say 1t is because
Christianity is dying out, and because peo-
pic do not believe in the truth of Gods
Word, and all that. They are false rea-
sons The reason is because our sermons
and exhortations are not interesting, and
practical, and helpful. Some one might rs
well tell the whole truth on this subject,
and 50 | will tell IL. The religious discourse
OF the future, the Gospel sermon 10 come
forth and shake the nations aud lift tho
people ont of darkness, will be popular
sermon, Just for tho simple reason that il
will moot the woes, and the wants, and tho
anxicties of the people.
There nro in all our denominations eccle-
siastcal mummies sitting around to frown